Memphis Cafe is an OC cult favorite. Simple with kitchy decor, people swear by their gumbo. I have had it on a previous visit and it is, admittedly, a tasty treat. But this is not the Year of the Gumbo, although that is intriguing. This is the Year of the Burger and on my most recent visit to Memphis, it was all business.
Burgers. The Soul Burger to be exact. Beef patty, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli on a fresh bun. I sub'd the shoestring fries for a side salad (yes those are a sampling of shoestring fries from my co-worker's plate) and enjoyed it all with a draft Franziskaner Weissbier. Which by the way (please permit me a small sidenote), is it just me or can you order a Franziskaner everywhere these days? Don't get me wrong, I love it. Currently, you can find it in my garage beer fridge. But seriously it happened overnight. Last year you could only find it at BevMo and now you can order it at Applebees. I guess the brewer hired the right distributor because the beer is everywhere.
...so back to the Soul Burger. The chipotle aioli really made the burger. It was tangy, mild in spicyness and added just the right moisture to the bun. The burger was plated with a pickle, tomato and onion, but I will attest they were not needed. At first I missed the conventional set-up, but I actually enjoyed this stripped down version. It was just the right lunch size and it was a 4 on the messy scale (10 being so messy it requires a fork and knife). Overall a solid burger made even better with a good beer.
This was a great start to the Year of the Burger!
B
Memphis Cafe
2920 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 432-SOUL (7685)
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